Australian guidelines for automated vehicle trials invite nationwide testing of new-era technology
30 May
2017
Austroads: Australian governments are taking
steps to move to a new era of mobility, with today’s launch of national
guidelines for trials of
automated vehicles.
Guidelines for trials of automated vehicles in Australia is a joint
publication of the National Transport Commission (NTC) and Austroads.
The guidelines support state and territory road agencies in providing
exemptions or permits for trials, and give greater certainty to industry
on conditions for trials.
Chief Executive of the NTC Paul Retter said the guidelines were designed
to be flexible and easy for industry to use, to support trials across
Australia.
“We have worked closely with vehicle manufacturers,
technology
developers and federal, state and territory governments to ensure our
approach to trials is nationally-consistent and reflects best practice,”
Mr Retter said.
“With a range of different environmental conditions, a receptive
population and now guidelines for the safe conduct of trials, Australia
has the potential to become a global testing and innovation hub for
automated vehicles.”
Industry will have enormous flexibility in the type of trials that can
be run – they simply need to address some key issues. These include
having:
-
a clear scope of operations,
-
a safety management plan that addresses risks, and
-
appropriate insurance.
Trialling organisations will also
need to provide data from trials to road transport agencies, including
details of any crashes.
“This approach allows industry to innovate – they just need to
demonstrate that they are managing the risks, including any risk to
other road users,” Mr Retter said.
State and territory governments are also reviewing their exemption
powers to ensure that they have appropriate powers to support trials.
Nick Koukoulas, Chief Executive of Austroads, said the guidelines draw
on international best practice and have a strong focus on safety.
“By establishing a performance-based framework to support on-road
trials, these guidelines aim to assure the Australian community that
roads are being used safely,” Mr Koukoulas said.
“We’re looking forward to the Australian public getting a first-hand
view of the benefits of these new and emerging technologies.”
The release of these guidelines is the first stage of the NTC’s reform
roadmap to support the deployment of automated vehicles. Ministers
agreed to this roadmap in November 2016, which includes a series of
reforms to develop an end-to-end regulatory system for eventual
commercial deployment of automated vehicles.
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Source: Austroads - www.austroads.com.au
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